Anime Expo, Viz Media Announce Exclusive Naruto Merchandise

Anime Expo promises to hold a ton of exclusives for returning fans and newcomers alike. With the premiere of My Hero Academia Season 4, a panel celebrating Sword Art Online, and numerous guests including the creator of the legendary anime Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo, Viz Media has teamed up with the convention to add one more enticing factor for fans of the Naruto variety.

Anime Expo posted the various Naruto merchandise that will be exclusive to their convention taking place in July to their Twitter Account:

Announcing the official @VIZMedia x Anime Expo collaboration! We can't wait to debut this year's exclusive Naruto merchandise collab, only available at #AX2019!

The merchandise, which includes skateboards, water bottles, and t-shirts, uses character designs from Naruto: Shippuden, the original sequel to the Naruto series that sees the main characters of the village of Konoha years following their previous adventures. While the series starts initially with Naruto searching for his self-exiled teammate, Sasuke, it expands into a conflict that engulfs the entire ninja world.

(Photo: Viz Media)

When Shippuden came to a close, the series shifted to focus on Naruto's son, Boruto, and how this new ninja must grapple with the legacy that has been created by the holder of the nine tailed fox. Sasuke also makes an appearance as Boruto's on-again, off-again mentor and has a daughter with Sakura, Sarada, who joins the young ninja in his training. The manga and anime of Boruto continues on to this day and is looking to have as long a future as its predecessor.

Other exclusive merchandise that can be found for Anime Expo, that isn't necessarily Konoha themed, includes t-shirts, hats, pins, plushes, tote bags, backpacks, phone charges, and even exclusive manga series for other popular franchises such as Ouran High School Host Club.

What other Naruto exculsives would you like to see at Anime Expo or out in the wild in general? Will you be attending the upcoming convention in July? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.